GROVELAND — Bagnall School is as American as it gets — a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade setting in a wooded area of this Merrimack Valley town.
But you wouldn't know it by the sights and sounds coming from the school gym at holiday time.
The gym was filled with vibrant colors and music from around the world, as children celebrated their annual festival of Lights.
For more than 10 years, Bagnall students have celebrated winter and foreign cultures with this festival.
"It is one of our most treasure traditions," said Principal Elaine Champion. "The students show how different cultures celebrate the winter solstice."
Children from each grade sing and play music, while some dance and present skits that are examples of what other cultures do at this time of year.
The sixth-graders kicked off the festival with their 25-foot-long colorful dragons celebrating the Chinese new year. Next came the school's youngest students, the kindergartners who presented Christmas songs.
First-graders celebrated the Swedish holiday St. Lucy's Day with song and dance, and second-graders celebrated Las Posadas, a South American festival. Third-graders celebrated Kwanza with two songs. The fourth-graders celebrated Hanukkah by building a human menorah on stage and doing a traditional Jewish dance.
Fifth-graders capped off the event with some early American winter traditions such as sword dancing.
"Every year, we celebrate the same festivals so that the students can look forward to what they are going to do next year," Champion said.
The music was put together by Karen Medley, the school's music teacher. Art teacher Sue Dangora helped with the costumes and dragon.
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